Car-coupling.



. N0 MODEL.

c. A. TOWER.

OAR COUPLING. APPLICATION FILED MAY 29,.1902.

MIMI

I I l CM W PATENTEDMAY 12, 1903.

' 2 sums-sum 1.

PATENTED. MAY 12, 1903.

a. A. TOWER.

OAR COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 29, 19024 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2-.

.im MODEL.

INVENTOR which the following is a forward. Fig. 4 is a verticalcross-section on ,5 the knuckle is locked.

go to engage t fflicrumB at the NiTED STATES T ION OF OHIO;

Patented May 12 19 03.

ATENT O FrIc .j.

TO THE NATIONAL.

CLEVELAND, OHIO, A- CORPORA- CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent at. 728,182, dated May 12,1903.

Application filed Mayne, 1902.

semi No. 109,477. on model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known thatLCLinion A. TOWER, of Cleveland, (Juyahoga county, Ohio,have invented a new and useful Car-Coupler, of full,'clear, and ex actdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,formingpart of this specification, in which- 7 Figure l is a plan viewof two coupler-heads A B having my improved device's shown in lockedposition, one of the coupler-heads being partly in horizontal sectionfor purposes of illustration. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectionon the line II II of Fig. 1, the coupler A being shown with its lockingand opening piece in' lock-set position and the other coupler, B, beingshown with its locking and opening piecein locked position. Fig. 3 is ahorizontal section of one of my improved couplers having its knucklethrown the line IV IV of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a vertical section showingthe locking and opening piece in front view.

My present invention is an improvement on the coupler shown anddescribed inniy pending patent application, Serial No. 98,473, filedMarch 17,1902.

In the drawings, 2 head, and 3 is the knuckle,, whose tail 3 extendsrearwardly from the pivot-pin 4, the front side of the tailor the endportion thereof being preferably approximately parallel with. thecentral line ofthe draw-bar when The locking andopening piece 5,; in sofar as its locking function is concerned, is in the naturegof a'pinwhich extends on the front side of the tailof the knuckle and in lockinghas a bearing against the coupler-head, extended both above and belowthe knuckle. Its ion/er end is shaped to constitute a tongue for too i),which is inclined forwardly and is adapted to fit in a. hole 6 in thefloor of the coupler. its upper end or head has a forward projection c,or it is-otherwise suitablyshaped for pivotal attachment toalifting-link7, and at'the rear of the headis a bearingd, which-is adapted top. ofthe recess -9 of the coupler-head, in whichihe piece 5 is i of the piece.5 are projections h g,

Grooves h h, Fig. 1,

representsthe coupleri correspondingly-inclined,

set. same width as the piece 5, so that it may guide and steady thelatter. At the rear of the locking and opening piece is a heel e, and onthe front it has a lateral extension f, adapted to make initialengagement with the knuckle when the latter is being opened. On thefront withpreferably an intervening space between them, and

This recess is preferably nearly of the on the under side of the tail ofthe knuckle is a guard projection t, which prevents the toe b fromcatching under the knuckle and also imparts the first rearward motion tothe piece 5 when the knuckle is moved back. are provided in the piece 5for the discharge of dirt, which might other-, wise impair itsoperation. pivotally connected piece 5 and is kept upright by astop-shoul-. der on atthe back of the slot. The link is attached to achain 11, and the flexibility of the chain and the housing .of greaterportion of it within vent injury to the lifting mechanism.

The operation is as follows: When the parts are in theposition shown atthe coupler B in Fig. 2, the knuckle is closed and locked, and the frontof the knuckle-tail, with its toe or guiding portion '1) in the hole 6,the projection c fitting in a recess a inthe coupler-head and the heel eresting on and keeping the piece 5 tipped forwardly, so that theprojection Q thereof will be main? ta'ined in the recess; locked andcannot be made'ito jump or creep upwardly by the jarring of the car.desi ed to unlock the knuckleand to swing it open, the operator liftsthe link 7. This causes the piece5 to rise, and during its first motionthe guiding-portionor toefb at its lower on'd moves it ,rearwardly untilit has passed back of the path of the tail of the knuckle and has leftthe'latter fr'ee t sw ng 8 at the'top of the coupler-head. The piececontinued lifting f the to tip forwardly. on th fulcrum S,:where-"the'knnckle upon the projection f will engage initially, and the toe bThe lifting-link 7 is in a slot at the top of the" locking and openingpiece 5 fits in 80 The piece 5 is thus the floor of the coupler If it be.95 open and itshead has engaged the fulcrum v will then move the toabove described, and shown'at the coupler B knuckleopen, as shownin'Flg.;4. The oporator-having thus opened the knuckle can allowthefpiece to dropfinto the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 4.When the 5 knuckle is nextswung into closed, position, its tail willengagesuccessive'ly the projec tions it and g: on the piece 5 and willpush it back until its toe b comes into. register with and drops intothe .hole 6, whereupon the parts will berestored to the locked positiontail of, the knuckle: If-it be desired to unlock the knuckle withoutthrowing 'it open and toleave the piece 5 in lock-set position, so thatthe .knuckle can be movedopen freely when the canto which it is attachedis moved gw ay from another car with which it is fi'coupled, theoperator simply lifts the piece 5 intothe position shown at the couplerA of Fig. 2,"at which, the-tail of thekn'uckle is re- 'leased.. On.releasing the lifting-chainthe piece 5 will bear'agaiust the end of thetail of v the knuckle, theproje'etlon 0 will bear against 5 the frontwalL-oLthe recess 9, andthe toe b.

-will rest upe'n'the lloor of the coupler at 12'.

There is, however, no locking engagementof the; piece 5wlith theknuckle, and the knuckle is free to move open when the cars are drawn knuckle engages the projection g and pushes the piece 5. 'rearwardly'somewhat, so asto briu'g its toe into register with thehole 6, and thepiece 5 will then drop back of-the knuckle into the same positionrelatively to the coupler-head which it occupies when the coupler islocked. \Vhen the knuckle is next'closed,

. it will engage successively the projections h portion b will cause itto rise and move rearwardly and permit the knuckle to pass, and when theknuckle haspassed the piece 5 will drop into locking position in frontofthe tail, as shown atthecoupler B in Fig. 2. 5 5 'As a protectionagainst displacement of the knuckle in the event of .breaking or loss ofthe pivot-pin I prefer to form on the rear side of the knuckle-tail nearthe position of. the pivot t, but not extending to the bottom 5e andtopol' theknuckle,a recess l3,tapering outwardly toward the head of theknuckle", and to form on the coupler-head near the outer end thereof aprojection 14, preferably adapted to enter and interflt with saidrecess. By locating the-recess and projection near the-position of thepivot-pin instead of locating them at the innerend of the tail it iseasier to fit is avoided.

apart. In. moving open, the tail of the ."and g of the piece 5,whereupon the inclined --"5.- A coupler having alocking and!) a 'themtogether, and when under draft all tendency of the one to pull awayfromthe other T Even without the pin the knuckle is held in place withthe greatest security. This device also'serves to take strain from thepivot-pin when the pin is-intact, and

and thus-prevents bending of the pin." By

forming the recess in the body of the knuckle and not extending the sameto the top and bottom of the rear side thereof the knuckle isp'ptweakened, as it would be if the recess extended from edge to edge of theknuckle. Thejskilled mechanic will be able tomodify the parts ofmycoupler in various ways, so as to accomplish the results above stated,substantially as I accomplish them'by the device shown in the drawings.The locking and opening piece is easy in all its motions and throws theknuckle forwardlyto as great extent as) desired, and the setting andlocking of the lock are performed in 'a simple and effective manner. Thecoupler can be made of light weight without sacrificing the strengthrequired in service;

I claim- 4 v v a 1. A coupler having a-knucklc, a tipping locking andopening piece having a locking and opening member adapted to fit'infront of the tailof the kuuckle,-and movable to free it from theknuckle, and having a lateral exftension adapted tomake initialengagement with'the rear of the knuckle-tail in ope ning; substantiallyas described.

- '2. A coupler having a locking and opening piece, means for directingit backwardly to free the knuckle, and means for tipping it forwardly tomove the knuckle open, said piece havinga lateral extension adapted tomakeinitialengageinent with the rear of the knuckletail in opening;substantially as described.

3. A coupler having a locking and opening piece, said piece havingaforwardly-inclined guiding portion at its lower endfitting in aguiding-hole in the floor of thecoupler, and constructed to direct thesaid piece back- .wardly, and a fulcrum constructed to engage the pieceto tip it forwardly, said piece having avlateral extension adapted tomake initial engagement with the rear of the kn'uckletail in opening;substantially asdescribed.

4. A coupler having a locking and opening piece, said piece 'having atits lower ends guiding portion constructed to direct it rearwardly,alifting device,'a locking-recess in the coupler-head forward of thelocking and opening piece constructed to receive thehead thereof and tohold it in locked-position, and a bearingfor the said piece adapted 3into the recess 'siibstantiallyas described wardly toinove the-knuckleopen, said .piecefl tip it being adapted to'bear at the upper portion.

against the coupler-head and atthe lower end to rest on the coupler-headwhen in loclt-set positionand having a portion adapted. to

. engaged by the knuckle in opening; substantially as described.

6. A coupler having an upwardly-movable v and having a-portion adaptedto be engaged by the knuckle in opening; substantially as described. 7 yF 7. A coupler having a locking and opening pi'ece, said piece havingaforwardly-inclined guiding portion at its lower end fitting in-aguiding-hole'in the floor of the coupler and constructed to, direct thesaid piece backwardly, and a fulcrum constructed to engage the-upper endof the piece to tip it forwardly,

said piece having projections h, g, adapted to be engaged by theknuckle; substantially as described. I

8. -A coupler opening and locking piece up- ,9. A coupler-lock having onthe lock a stop adapted to bear on the'rear side of a liftinglink and tosupport the same; substantially as described.

-'10. A coupler lock having a; lifting-linkpivoted in a slot in saidlock, anda stop'in the slot on therear. side of the link for sup:

porting the same; substantially as described. 11. A coupler-knucklehaving on the under side of its tail a guard projection 'i,' adapted tocooperate with a tipping opening member;

substantially as described.

12. In a coupling,the combination with a coupling-head and a pi votedknuckle having a tail to enter the head, of alocking-block having a seatin the head and against the end of the tail to lock it in the head; apivoted sup by the block, an enlargemen'tin the couplinghead, and aninclined arm at the upper end of the block to fulcrum on theenlargement, tilt the block and compel the tongue or fin gen to ejectthe knuckle, when the supportis elevated. 1

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand May. 26, 1902.

CLINTON Witnesses: e s

' THOMAS W. BAKEWELL,

D. W. CALL.

port for the block, a tongue or finger carried 5 A. TOWER.

